Panic in the Dark 2015

 
So this race is more of a fun run, and it takes place in Lowell after dark, with some well paced zombies. (This is one of the last race local events of the year) The makeup on the zombies is awesome! The race was not a full 5k, but that did not seem to matter to me, It was still fun even if it fell a little short. This year the venue was moved about a week before hand, we got an email with advance warning so we knew where to park. They bus you from the building to the start, and then from the finish to the festival. They provide your head lamps so you can run in the dark, you can use your own, but you do not need to, and they are bright enough to not have any issues seeing the trail. They have safe words n case you get scared and the zombies will leave you alone, this year it was biceps (a little joke about the FIT challenge owner). I have to say that the story before the race was not as good as last year, last year it was a bit of a story before you get on the bus, then when you get off the bus you had more story, and a person was shot with a paintball/air-soft gun, and then the race was off. Just before you left the "solider" leading you away shot a zombie, so still fun, just different. The festival are had free chicken soup, or chili, free bag check, a band playing, and a bar. One of the cool things about this race is that for the biggest team perks other than the sectioned off area, was the back of the shirt was our (New England Spahtens) logo on the back, instead of the sponsors, really a nice touch! The medals are pretty cool too, the eyes show light from behind the medal, nice touch!

Until next time
Stay active
Stephen

The Baystate Marathon 2015

So last year about this time, I posted to facebook (I have a several friends who run marathons, and therefore know more than I do about the different ones) asking for advice on a first marathon. I was told by several friends, all experienced runners, that Baystate would be perfect. It was a very memorable experience, and I was very happy to have done it! It is pretty flat, especially coming from a trail running/ocr beginning. Now it did not have high hills, but they had a few inclines, my gps is not the most fancy, but it was just under 300 ft gain/loss. So this course was one down and back, one loop around a river and then back to the start. They had a 1/2 marathon option as well, but for the most part they were on separate routes. The left side of the course was the one that had small hills, and then the other side of the river was as flat as can be, great intro to the distance. Also the mileage was marked on the street, water/gatoraide stations all over the place, perfectly placed for the distances, and one of the stations gave out Guus! I saw a wile ago somewhere on facebook, a post that said running is as much a spectator sport as well. I had never given it much thought before the marathon. Now having run a marathon, I could not agree more! All the happy faces were amazing. From the awesome volunteers, (seriously, in costume and having fun, and cheering you on was great!) to the people gathered at good vantage spots, like the bridge where you turn to loop back. I saw pure awesomeness in the form of signs from spectators. One of my favorites was something like at least your not Walkin, with a picture of Christopher Walkins face. There were plenty of other great signs, and great energy around. At one point where you turned back from the farthest point in the race, you run past residential houses, there were people all dressed up, one in a bee suit (and a themed sign) and another in a lobster suit as well (again with a cool sign I think) they had water as well. I have said many times with endurance events, you really need to focus on the smiles, it really helps make everything better! They had signs all other the place with words of encouragement, my favorite though, had to be at mile 20, it was a painted brick wall on the ground and bricks flying and it said push through the wall. Now for those you you that do not now, the wall is when you body just stops running, and everything becomes hard. I chuckled and grinned, as I had not hit the wall...... yet. Then mile 21 came, and man I had to walk! I made great time going up to the half (1:58) and then slowed down each mile after, but man when 21 hit, it was bad. I walked and instantly felt my legs get 3 to 4 times heavier, and dam near impossible to run or keep decent pace. I was able to keep moving, and kept trying to run periodically, which I did not do all that well. I had the energy to randomly run but never more than 1/10 of a mile at a time. So that meant whenever I past volunteers, or spectators I ran, and then walked,I felt defeated, I had a lofty goal of 4 hrs, and a cap of 4 1/2, I got 4:48, I am happy I finished, and happy I learned a lot from this race. I learned that I can carbo load right, and that I do not need nutrition for marathons ( I will still carry some just in case, better to be prepared). I had 3 Guus in the first half, and they never sat right, and then some blocks, again, never sat right. All the training, all the racing it all paid off this year. Now to keep up the hard work and run a charity bib for Boston, and hopefully shave off time from Baystate. Now to figure out how to push that wall back about 5 miles, and work on my distance speed! Another thing about this race the tracking options from ireslutlslive were cool, they offered email or text updates, the texts were behind, but the email were accurate, the text may be off for me because my cell died and got weird reuslts from it, and did not get finish until a wile after I plugged my phone in. The splits were crazy detailed: The timing locations will be located at marathon miles 3, 10K(6.2), 8.5, 13.1, 16.3, 30K(18.6) & 23; and at half marathon miles 3.7 & 9.9.  [The odd looking splits are due to the course loops]. I was bummed that they dropped the unlimited pasta dinner post race but they still had bananas, water, thermal blankets, pbj (on white or wheat) soup (vegan or not) and chips.

Also a few other points, picking up your bib before the race is key, Lowell  shuts down around the route, so getting your bib is harder, and makes it easier, plus get there early because it will take a lot of time to park and use the bathroom, and bag check if you want it. Also Pro tip (not that I am a pro by any stretch of the imagination) take the next day off from everything you will not want to leave your bed, legs did not want to work wile I was at work.

Course map

So now to take what I have learned, improve, and apply it all to my next marathon, hopefully Boston, I know I will be hunting for a charity bib, I have looked at a few places, just waiting to hear back, fingers crossed.

So until next time
Stay active
Stephen

The Boston Marathon

So, a wile back, after doing carry the fallen I decided I HAD to do the Boston Marathon! I had played with the idea in my head for a few years, but never decided because it was only in 2015 that I started to take the long distance/endurance stuff appealing, and more importantly, doable.

Now I have tried a couple of ultras, I have dnf'd my first 2, but had a world of fun, and am determined to complete one, and then continue to do at least one a year, it is a great environment, great people, and shows you what you can do. So, seeing as how ultra marathons are very different from marathons, they require different running styles, unless you are just that good, I am not, at least not yet. I say this to emphasize the fact that my only fear going into the Boston marathon has been raising the money. I have on more than one occasion done a marathon distance in a day, but by no means at a fast pace, but the distance got done. To prepare for Boston, I am doing the regular training thing (by no means by the books training with schedules and such, but getting in runs each week, and increasing my long runs when the weather agrees. Hoping that with my training for the ultra beast in killington, and as many miles in the racelocal competition and regular training runs I will be ready for Baystate, and then gain speed over the winter for Boston. 

So now my thought goes to bibs. I do not believe that I will qualify on my first marathon, that is not my goal, qualifying times are ridiculously fast, I wish I was fast enough. So that means charity bib (unless any of my awesome readers have an entry kicking around they want to give away, doubtful, but some things you just have to say) and they can be hard to get, and cost a bunch. Luckily if you live in a town that the marathon goes through then you can request one at your town selectman's office. The BAA gives out bibs to other organizations that you can get in other ways, not fully versed in how it all works, still really new to this concept. I know of some charities that I may get try to get a bib from. One thing is that they are just starting to come out, most organizations do a lottery style to dole out bibs. 

So now, I start looking into what charity has bibs, and start applying for them. I really want in, and now to hope I luck out and get a doable number to raise. I was told of one charity that I could apply to, and the minimum they ask for is $7,500. That number is waaaaay out of my comfort zone the thought of not meeting the goal, and the money coming out of my pocket is really scary, luckily I have a few ideas, but not a lot of faith in my ability to raise that much.

So keep me in mind when I get the bib, if you have any extra money, or fund raising ideas will be more than appreciated.

Until next time
Stay active
Stephen

O2X at Loon mountain

Course map

So this race is truly unique, in that I have never seen anything like this before. This is a race to the top of a mountain, and the course is not a trail, it is off trail. You go over some trails, but much of the course has been searched for. There are no man made obstacles like you would find at ocrs, but instead you get giant boulders you have to scale. No tools needed, just the right clothes for the temps, and water if you need it, and you probably will. The race is up the mountain most of the way, a few sideways points, barely any down, mostly up, and several places that you have to crawl up. It is that steep, and so much fun! There were fallen tress, and really rugged slopes you ran (or hiked) up. This race is all about the elevation gain, they show it on the map, they mark it by increments of 500 ft, and on course they had 3 markers for you . They also had a few water stops, I believe three, and had some electrolyte water as well, which was great! This company is seriously the best around at marking, this is their second race I have done (I did Sugar bush last year, and was amazed that it was their first race) there was one spot I took exactly 2 steps and dd not see markings and turned back and knew where to go. Close to the end where you get to go through the boulders was awesome! One of the cool touches on the course this year, they had a person in a Sasquatch suit on course, and he scared a few people, and a few other people in full costume suits, as well as the founders, all of them were giving out high 5's and words of encouragement, it was one of those cool things you do not often see on a race course, and makes it that much more memorable! And once you finished at the top of the mountain, you got a gondola ride down, really cool, and the views at the top were great!

View from the top, epic selfie

Now for some of the other things that make this company great. They are committed to the planet, they put it best on their web page:


As a member of 1% for the Planet, we are committed to promoting sustainable living and environmental awareness in everything we do, both on the mountain and around the world.
You will see these practices put into place in every event. For example, we reduce or recycle municipal solid waste and selected industrial wastes, and we donate at least 1 percent of sales to nonprofit partners among the 1% for the Planet network. Other ways we put our environmental commitment into action include:

• Recycle cardboard, metals, paper and plastic through a single-stream collection method
• Offer compostable or recyclable dinnerware, paper goods and napkins.
• Compost all food scraps and coffee grinds
• Encourage carpool and public transportation for our event
• Work with local suppliers, business partners, and customers to reduce environmental impact of activity
• Donate salvageable foods to a local food bank or community outreach program
• Provide bulk servings of typical single-serve packages (such as coffee, creamers, sugar, etc.)
• Set benchmarks to limit municipal solid waste and recycling
• Collect, organize and create a simple report on municipal solid waste and recycling
• Strive for zero waste

Swag!

That is pretty cool, and is apparent at the venue. Some of the other really cool things about this race, the encourage you to camp out on the mountain, really close to the base camp (festival) and hang out the night before with the owners and have a fireside chat, and enjoy the atmosphere before the race! They know how to get the right kind of sponsors as well. They are sponsored by lululemon, so the finishers shirts were great! when I read that they were using lululemon shirts I thought awesome, and I wondered if it would be plastered with logos for other sponsors, but no, just a small O2X logo on the sleeve, nice touch! (now it looks like I paid for a super awesome shirt that I got for signing up1)



But that's not all! they also just got sponsored by Guinness, so on friday, before the race, from 4pm to 10pm, after you registered, you pick up a metal cup (that you got to keep) and all you can drink begins. You could get Guinness (reg or blonde) They also had 2 wines to choose from, hot choc (and Baileys if you wanted) apple cider, or hard cider (they added rum to it). So you could enjoy your day, and they also had the post beer the day after the race. Also a cool sponsor to have you may ask? Dunkin Donuts!!! so you could buy egg sandwiches, or all day on race day they had free bagels and cream cheese, I think 3 or 4 different kinds of bagels. They also had other food on friday and saturday, you could choose pizza, burgers, lobster roll, and so on.

Base camp also had solar charging stations, recovery area with a sponsor that was letting you test out muscle stimulating technology to speed up recovery. Also some games to play in the base camp, like corn hole, and over sized inflated bowling and Frisbees. there were several fires the night before (as well as the race morning) and blankets and fire towers to warm up the area, and that was nice as it was in the 40's when the sun set!

The medals were titanium sporks with a bottle opener on the end! you also got a draw string bag O2X branded, candy bar, a juti bar, and a Kill cliff bar.

So like I said, they care about the planet, they give back to the communities they race in, have the best trail marking I have seen, and the best swag around! also, the price may seem high, as it tends to be around 100, but keep in mind a few things. They do not charge you for: parking, bag check or processing fees, and seriously, THE BEST SWAG AROUND!!! so this race is well worth it, and to keep the environment the same, which is awesome, they are capping registrants so it  can still be a small race, and wonderful atmosphere, and I love the idea, so sign up early, Loon mountain was wonderful, as will there next races.

Honestly, my only complaint is that they only have one race in the north east, and that says something!

Next year they will be back at Loon, and so will I, if you want to check them out and have not heard about them their page is here

So until next time
Stay active
Stephen

Killington Ultra Beast 2015

So it is that time of year again, time for the Killington beast. Last year it was the spartan world championships, and I did the beast, and it was brutal. This year, I was talked into doing the ultra beast (2 laps around the beast course) and this year had already basically been working up to it with all my races and training, and it isn't hard to get me to sign up for a race, really, it is kind of a problem. Anyway, so as with everything Killington, word championships or not, the rumor mill was flying. From all the different facebook groups, to all the word of mouth rumors going around about course, obstacles, time hacks and what not, some of which I am sure Norm himself spread (Norm is the race director for Killington if you did not know) it was easy to get nervous. Let me tell you hearing all the crap I did, wile tapering, deloading, and general prep for the race and going crazy not being able to do what I want, rumors of the race were the last thing I needed to mess with my head. Luckily, it didn't last, and my mind went from energy and excitement, to oh crap what did I get myself into, but in the few days before, I realized that it was doable for me, and happy and excited again I was!

Pre race photo Credit Sara

Pre race photo credit Sara

So I signed up elite, because, frankly, I wanted to ensure as much time on course as I could, In the super long distance stuff my goal is completion of the race. The morning was great seeing my friends that were racing, and my friends that were there wishing well and giving out hugs it was a great way to start the day! And in the morning announcement, as is custom in the elite waves, the rd says a few words, and Norm said that he did not want people to finish, which made me chuckle, and say that I was going to pad the positive comps when I finish this race. So the first thing we do after the start line is start the ascent up the mountain, and hit log hurdles, then inverted wall, and then about 1.5 miles up. This race was a founders race (still not 100% on what that means though). But basically the race was filled with many heavy carries (pancake, demo sandbag, 2 log carries, bucket brigade, a log farmers carry, atlas carry) and sooooo many walls. there were 2 rope climbs, a hurc hoist, the rig set up they had was 3 ropes to rings. Tarzan was not under the bridge this year, it was between 2 walls with hay in case you fell. The only water was were the traverse rope was last year and it was a wade through chest deep water depending on how far in the water you went. There were also 2 cargo net climbs, and hay bale jumps, and of course spear throw(s), 3 barb wire crawls, memory test just for the ultra people, and only on the first lap, and the always present fire jump.

Photo credit Aaron Farb, still happy on lap 1

A few gripes that need to be shared about the race. First of Saturday was pretty darn hot, about 80 and Spartan ran out of water, it was a s*** show, and people disagree about that, but the point here is this, Joe De Sena apologized on facebook, and flew up after hearing about it, and saw to it that those problems were solved for Sunday. Saturday they did not let people refill their water packs, but said you could at the next stop and never let them fill it, I heard about very long times waiting in line, enough time for two people to trade places at a heavy carry, and still not be close to getting water. As you can imagine it got kinda ugly, and racers and staff and volunteers were both acting poorly because of this, not everybody, but enough that many people had several stories of their own. Also some other complaints about this race were that several of the obstacles were falling apart on sat, and not properly fixed for sun. The wall at the halfway mark was being held together by volunteers on sat, as it was not secure for people to go over, and on sun, everybody I saw went to the only part that was properly secured on the left. even with the board that was put there it was not stable. The bucket brigade was falling apart, the back wall that holds the rocks in had a big break and a bunch of rocks were spilling out of it, and we were told to dump on the side that was not broken ( also they ran out of buckets on Sunday and rocks as well I was told). As somebody that ran ub I was annoyed that the loop was made longer on my second lap just for us running the ub, it seemed weird and annoying nut whatever. The bucket brigade, and the demo bag sandbag carry loops were shortened on Saturday due to not enough to go around. I was watching runners on Saturday at 10am, and there was a line of about 40 or 50 people waiting for a sandbag, way to early to back up like that.The rope climbs were oddly short for a spartan race, but they was nothing wrong with them. One of the sections of the z wall had a decent sized hole in the board just below the foot blocks. the over under through section of about a dozen walls that was on pavement after the tarzan swing had a board that was not secured to the end, and the through walls were not even so some of them were too tiny to get through unless you were a child size. Basically I saw a lot of stuff I would never expect to see at a spartan race, a lot of the finishing touches, polishing up of obstacles, and quality were not there. I expect more from them, and especially for killington, as it is supposed to be their baby, it is where the first beast started years back.

Also something I need to add, with Joe's video apologizing for the problems, he gave out his email and asked for feedback! so I sent an email, and his response was nice. I sent him pretty much the entire paragraph above and this was his answer.

For whatever reason this build crew thought when I said- back to basics and raw- that meant sloppy!

I agree on your assessment and we are working around the clock to get it right.

I appreciate your comments.

TY.

Joseph Desena
to me

All the negative being said, the terrain was awesome as it usually is, it was still hard, and fun. I must say, when I realized that the sprint course was the same for the first 4 or 5 miles, I was concerned about bottle necks and time hacks. However when I started my first lap all those fears disappeared immediately, the volunteers knew what the green arm bands meant, and as soon as they saw them they made room at the obstacles for us. I saw one guy stand in front of the inverted wall and wave several of us over to avoid a line, and the log hurdle as well, the volunteer politely asked a runner to wait one second and she happily let me go, it was truly wonderful. But it did not stop there on course, during one of the downs every time I came close to a group of people, and they looked behind, they yelled "ultras coming through" and let me pass, to say I was surprised was an understatement! and the ones that didn't part, when I got near let me pass when I asked to, everybody was nice, it was a great day.

Also, I have heard a bunch that this race was easy, and all that. Now I know what last year was, I did it, it sucked, and I came back for 2 laps. But the whining about it being so easy really needs to stop! there were still many people that DNF'D the race, it is still Kilington and the terrain is still horrible. But also equally important is that you are diminishing those that are happy that they finished, the ego really needs to come out of a lot of the minds of some of the runners. I can understand disappointment, but you need to handle your verbiage better, because people worked hard to make the race, and people worked hard training for the race, so get off your high horse people. Also, the amount of trash I saw on course was ridiculous, I do not know why so many people can not carry a wrapper, hell it is light than when you opened it up!

Photo Credit Josh Chase. Next night, with Kevin who did beast/ub

One of the best feelings was the finish, it was great. I knew I was coming up on the spear throw and did not push too hard in case I missed again (first lap it went in then bounced out, so depressing!) I wanted to save energy for burpees. But I nailed it and SCREAMED "F*** YEAH" sprinted for what I swear was a 5 minuet mile pace for the like 20 yards to over the fire and to the finish passing a few people all due to the extreme happiness that I got the spear and finished the Killington ultra beast! (in 12:12 and before sunset)


Some things to keep in mind for an event like this would be, never stop moving, just keep going forward, even if it just walking, do not stop it makes a world of difference (this applies to the Killington beast as well)! Long uphill and you are slowing down? perfect time for a snack. You should be eating and drinking around the hour mark for things like this, you can do 40 min if you like it is all about preference and your body. Training for the distance and proper hydrating and nutrients help keep energy up ad cramps at bay. Also look for the humor in the day, keep smiling, it seriously helps make the miles go by faster and better. joke with people around you boost morale, introduce yourself to runners that are near your pace and make new friends during the race I did, and it was nice chatting with people, cheering each other on and having fun, after all that is why you paid to do stuff like this right? Worried about having to poop on course? take Imodium AD and no worries, it made a difference for me. In your drop bin spend as little time as you can to ensure you make the time hacks, if you sit too long you may bring on cramps and the desire to not get back up. Have a second bladder there, it is easier than refilling. change of shoes is a good idea as well as socks. when I stopped I changed socks and shoes, also my foot care was gold bond to dry them off and trail toes to help with blister prevention. also refilled the trail snacks and was good to start running again. All said it was about10/15 min switching out. And listen to your friends that have done it endurance events before, absolutely everything in this paragraph came from friends helping me out along the way, and with their advice race day went pretty smooth! I also carried pickle juice in a separate container in case I cramped up, and took some swigs when I felt them coming on, luckily they were minor and it helps me

And the medal GLOWS IN THE DARK!!!

Delta 730 2007

Until next time

Stay active

Stephen

Spartan Race Boston Sprint

 So this race is back at Carter & Stevens farm in barre ma. Going into this race I had mixed feelings due to how they handled the super. The super left things to be desired, review here, and then battle frog came in and did a little better, but still have things to learn. So needless to say I was unsure how the day was going to go, but I can happily say I had all of the fun. Spartan stepped their game up for this race. I love hills in a race, they shake things up, push you and you have a sense of accomplishment when you make it to the top, and this venue does not really have any. But there is a small one and we went up it about 5 times, and three of them with weight, sandbags and bucket brigade. The course was wider in more places, the start line was closer to the festival area, Dustin was back at the start line doing great as he always does! The course did not feel as though it was rushed with the design, was done with careful planning. The obstacles were strategically placed, all enjoyable and challenging.

The obstacles in order were: Hay bales, Over Under Through walls, Inverted wall, Monkey bars, Atlas Carry, Rope Climb (1/2 knotted, half no knots, THANK YOU SPARTAN RACE!!! I love a no knotted rope climb) rolling mud pits with dunk wall, Barbwire Crawl, Log Hop, Plate Drag, Sandbag Carry, Stairway to Sparta, Bucket Brigade, 3 Walls (from taller to shorter probably close to 10 ft, 8ft, and 7ft) Hurc Hoist, Spear Throw, Bridge (with cargo net top instead of slatted boards). The Cliff Multi Rig (traverse pipe to 3 short ropes, to 4? rings and bell), A Frame Cargo Net, Farmers Carry ( 2 logs with chain handles), Slip Wall, Verticle Cargo Net, and finally Cargo Net.

The trail running sections were so well done, still plenty technical, and plenty of downed trees and all sorts of things to get in your way and make it hard to run, which was awesome. No walking tight away because of a single track right after the start. Basically any complaint I could have thought of that I encountered at the super they fixed for the sprint. And the course was about 5.2 miles according to my gps, and oh so much fun packed into those miles.
        

And it was not just me, many of the people that complained about the venue were pleasantly surprised by the race. The race was well received by everybody there. I would still like to see a venue with more hills, but if they keep course design with this caliber then I will be happy to come back and race. 

The only problems that I can think of where that the volunteers cutting timing chips off your wrist were in front of the line to get your post race pic taken so if you went back to the venue nobody stopped you. And I forgot because I was in a rush to get to the start line. I went out on a second lap in support of my friend, it was her first race and just wanted somebody to help out if she needed it. It was a blast, after doing these races for 2 years (this sprint in august was my first race in 2013) and I think everybody should do that, it really makes the race more fun! 

Photo Credit Vince Rhee

So my results were unavailable due to the chip reading it twice, Luckily a staff member got it squared away for me, and pretty quickly too, so thanks for that

Also the buses are still have problems, they get to the venue just fine, but take the long way back to the parking lot, and often get lost, it has been the case for each race there it seems, and after speaking with other racers and hearing the drivers on the radio it about getting lost and asking for directions wile driving the bus to the parking lot. I have heard others have had no problem, just to be fair, I may be in the minority, but I had to put my 2 cents in.

Almost forgot, This year Spartan has put a string around the spear so the no longer have to collect them. I have mixed feelings about that. It is nice to not have to wait for all the spears to be picked up. One thing to keep in mind with this is that you need to make sure you put the string in front of the fence otherwise you will probably step on it. I have seen this happen countless times. My beef with this move is that the string is often too short! Luckily when I stepped up to the fence a staff member moved the string to give it more room, and I was about the 1/2 way mark for the elite male wave, I wonder how many may have missed due to short ropes.Keep that in mind folks, WATCH THAT ROPE!!!

Until next time

Stay active

Stephen

The looong lost and crazy run

So just in case you do not live in Massachusetts when you read this, it has been hot, and humid. The temps have been in the 80's and humidity anywhere from mid 70% to 90% and my body has not been coping with the heat all that well. This summer has been this way for weeks, and the past three of them I have been trying to get in a half marathon run in. The one morning it was in the 60 I had no sleep and no time to do a long run, and annoyed me for a few days, running problems! Then this past Wednesday it was perfect out, after getting home from work and errands at 9pm, I got changed and prepped for a ling runand went out in pretty perfect summer running conditions. Only problem is I decided to turn my current long run route into a longer one, it was a longer oval of my 10 mile route. As I went farther, I went into the next town, and I swear there were no sidewalks at all in my neighboring town. And that is scary as hell when it is 12ish and you are at mile 11 something and you are going up an awesome hill (I really hope I can find it again, it went on forever!) and a dwindling battery on my phone, legs getting slower and a spartan volunteer shift in the am. So what was I to do, now around midnight, I called my brother, who was luckily for me, working an overnight shift. I was completely lost, with only a small idea of where i was. I found a few signs directing me back to a route I knew would get me back to my house, but my progress was bad, so I really needed an out. My brother, and managers in the background rightfully laughed and called me crazy. (I still love the being called that as a runner, it makes me feel like I am doing the right thing). I finish the phone call, a few min go by, talk to my brother again on the phone, and then immediately after I hang up my phone dies, about 2.5 miles away from where we were meeting, and a mostly good idea how to get there. Good thing the route was simple, basically just down the road. So by the time I get to the location, a local 24 hour gym, I was ecstatic to see somebody standing out front. The universe was really smiling on me on this run! (For example every street crossing I had the right of way, all the drivers let me go in front, and only one light that was not green in my direction.)  only thing was his cell was dead, but he had a cable to charge it, and as soon as we got let into the gym by his friend he charged it, and after a few min he looked up the number for work and called it for me, so nice, and such a life saver. When I ran up, it was obvious, and he commented long run hunh? So the long run with a goal of a half marathon minimum turned into 15 miles, and a bunch of walking for the last 1.5 miles. So I got picked up about 12:45. Only problem? I had a volunteer shift for 7:30am over an hour away. But that seems to be my luck for sleep the week of a spartan race with build days. Oh well, good thing I have been able to handle it. After the super in barre, this was no where near as bad.

So moral of the story is plan things better, and realize that even if you do not get the performance you want you still have it in you. Summer is horrible for my runs, I still need to get used to that idea, but I still have my speed and endurance, just not in humidity. 

So have faith in your own training, adjust when needed, get out of your head and your own way, the more you believe in your abilities the better you will be, doubt is KILLER to almost all things. 

Until next time

Stay active

Stephen